Orderly Fashion
by Redconky
Summary: Divya knew what kind of life she wanted -- or did she? Set after "Am I Blue?" and contains spoilers for that episode. Divya/Evan romance one-shot.


**Orderly Fashion**

Rating: No higher than T, I am sure

Characters: Divya and Evan

Genre: Romance

Synopsis: She knew what she wanted from her life . . . or did she? Set after "Am I Blue?" and has spoilers for that episode.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything connected with Royal Pains or these characters. I'm just a fan with a few ideas. Don't sue me – you can't get blood from a turnip!

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One of the things Divya enjoyed about medicine was that there was a logic to it: certain chemical combinations always led to certain reactions. Condition A could be treated with Prescription B as long as Condition C didn't exist and Precautions D, E and F were taken. For the most part, it was predictable. If all of the variables were known, there were no surprises.

Divya hated – more than anything – surprises. Spontaneity was, in her opinion, always the key ingredient to disaster.

Although Evan had spent a considerable amount of time with Divya, somehow he either hadn't caught on to this aspect of her personality or took it as a flaw that needed to be corrected. So his plan for a picnic-style Hank Med staff meeting – which was now going to consist only of him and her – was about to meet with more opposition than he could have imagined.

Divya knocked on the frame of the sliding door leading to the Lawson Brothers' bachelor pad. "Hello?" she called out.

"Divs! You're on time! Bravo! You can help me carry the food out to the car."

"I thought we were having a meeting."

"We are. But we're having it in a different venue. I thought we'd take advantage of this beautiful day and have our staff meeting al fresco. I printed out the flip charts so we don't have to worry about getting sand in the laptop on the beach, which, if you think about it, is kind of ironic because silicon chips are MADE of sand –"

"Evan—"

"Yeah?"

"WHAT are you rattling on about? Your car can only fit two people and last time I checked, the Hank Med staff consists of three people."

"Oh yeah. Hank got a call from a new client and he had to perform an examination. He thinks it's probably a case of sun poisoning but he figured he'd better run some extra tests just in case."

"I see. So you planned a picnic as a ruse to possibly get me to break my rule?"

"What rule?" Evan replied, putting on his combination innocent and clueless expression.

"That I don't mix business with pleasure."

"Divs, it's just a picnic. In case you've failed to look at a calendar lately it's August, and gorgeous days like this are dwindling down to a precious few. I say we get some Vitamin D courtesy of that medium-sized star we take for granted also known as the sun and have a meeting in a less sterile environment."

"I'm a medical professional. I like sterile environments. They provide control. They reduce the risk of things going awry. Besides, do you how frequently people get food poisoning on picnics?"

"Hey, I'll have you know no one's ever gotten sick because of my cooking. I made fresh chicken salad with pecans and grapes on a bed of baby lettuce, nestled between layers of nine-grain bread fresh from the bakery this morning."

"Mayonnaise can turn quickly in this heat."

"Don't worry, I used mayo I bought from the store yesterday and I've got ice packs around the sandwiches. The raspberry lemonade I made last night is just beginning to thaw and by the time we reach the beach, it should be melted but still perfectly cool. Furthermore, I don't think the fruit salad with ice cubes or the chocolate chunk cookies pose any health danger. Now, will you stop giving me the health department lecture on safe food handling protocol and please put this picnic blanket in the trunk?"

Just then, Divya felt a familiar vibration coming from her Blackberry. She read the text. It was from Hank.

"Sorry, Evan. Looks like we'll have to postpone the staff meeting. Hank needs my help and equipment. It seems it might not be a simple case of sun poisoning after all."

Evan sighed with a note of disappointment as he looked at the picnic basket stuffed with goodies that would have made Yogi Bear's summer.

"Okay. Go keep our bottom line healthy. But tell Hank we still need to have this meeting!" Evan yelled as Divya headed toward her car.

Divya climbed into her Mercedes-Benz SUV and drove towards the address Hank had provided. She shook her head as she thought of Evan's crestfallen expression when she explained why she had to leave. It brought to mind another expression: the one of shock when she had finished kissing him to save him from getting beaten to within an inch of his life by his new female friend's burly boyfriend. Divya had learned at her father's knee the value of disguising your thoughts and feelings so others couldn't determine them from your facial expressions – this skill had served him quite well in the business world. It was a skill that Evan obviously had not mastered.

As she drove to her destination, she compared her two most recent kisses: the one with Raj and the one with Evan. The reactions she elicited from each of them were litmus tests of their personalities. Raj was appreciative, but not overly enthusiastic, when Divya kissed him. He told her afterwards he had been caught off guard in an effort to explain his reaction to her impulsivity, but she had been thinking since that the lack of ardor might be what she could expect if they do marry like their families want them to do. If the kisses were going to lack passion, what would lovemaking be like? Would it be mechanical? Predictable? While Divya figured Raj would provide a secure, steady life for her – qualities which she had always strived for in her own life – were they the only ingredients for the recipe of a happy life?

Speaking of recipes, Divya had to chuckle about Evan's picnic lunch. Although he hadn't told her about it in advance in the name of spontaneity, she had to admit he had thought of every contingency: printouts in lieu of using the computer, fresh ingredients and ice packs to guard against that most unwelcome gatecrasher salmonella, and lemonade timed to thaw as they would arrive at the beach. The planning side of it showed a thoughtfulness she had always thought Evan lacked. While she couldn't admit it to him, she had enjoyed their kiss because he reciprocated with considerably more enthusiasm than Raj had. She contemplated a life with surprise picnics and other spontaneous gestures. How would Evan's playful side – which she had always written off as a symptom of immaturity – translate in the bedroom? Before she could give that idea much more thought, she found herself pulling into the driveway of Hank Med's newest patient.

As she gathered the needed equipment and supplies, she ran through her mental checklist as she always did before seeing a patient. She felt it imperative to be composed, to proceed in an orderly fashion. Perhaps this was a good routine to follow for medical procedures, she thought, but maybe such a regimented mentality was not a good approach for a full life. She shook her head as if to rattle the thought out through her ears and proceeded to the door when she decided to send a quick text to Evan.

"Hi there – if it's not too much trouble, can you please save some of your picnic lunch for me? Your chicken salad sounds delicious. Divya."

While she knocked on the door, she heard her Blackberry indicate she had received a text. She checked to see who it was, and her hunch was right.

"It'll be in the fridge waiting for ya. Good luck. Evan."

An unusually wide smile crossed Divya's face, which she wiped off when she realized the butler had answered the door, allowing her to proceed with tending to their newest patient.


End file.
